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My head throbbed again, starting at the top of my head and shooting down my neck. I brought my hand up to it, rubbing in small circles. Finally, I dared to open my eyes, squinting at first as the bright sunlight accosted me.
I blinked a few times but didn’t feel like I could move yet.
A thudding sounded behind me. Steady and then picked up. Footsteps. And they were approaching fast. Before I could muster the strength to react, a snarling face appeared above me.
A thin face with intense large beady eyes—and a sword.
I brought up my hands next to my chest, holding them in surrender.
“Get up,” the man snarled. His scratchy voice matched his fierce look perfectly. The long brown hair he donned hung quite nicely on either side of his face, framing a bushy beard.
I swallowed and obeyed as best I could, all the while at the end of the pointed sword facing me. I wobbled onto two feet.
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on here, but—”
The sword came closer and I took a step back from the sudden movement. “Silence.” The man narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing on royal property?”
I looked around at my surroundings more carefully.
Not Rock Creek Park then.
Not at all.
“I was in Rock Creek and I hit my head. I’m not sure how I got here…” I trailed off, even more confused now. “Wait, did you say royal?”
The man watched me as his lip curled up. “Is that a joke, where you’re from?”
I shook my head. Did I walk into some sort of reenactment event I didn’t know about? That had to be the only explanation. I eyed the sword-wielding brute before me.
Is that chain mail?
Yes, chain mail. All over his body. I looked back to the water. The small pond I’d swum out of was anything but that. I squinted, half expecting something I recognized to reappear before my eyes. But nothing except a vast rippling blue body of water stretched behind me. I couldn’t see the other side of the water, but on my side, there were the trees I’d already seen, and then an open field that led to a hilltop with who knows beyond.
I took a small step back. “I think I’ll be on my way now.” I didn’t know where I’d go, but getting far away from the annoyed man with a weapon seemed like it would be my smartest bet.
His grin lit up his face, and his eyes went from annoyed to frighteningly playful. “Oh, it’s too late for that. Trespassing is a crime. You’re coming with me.”
He lunged forward and hooked my arm with his hand. The sword was sheathed in a matter of seconds and he whipped out a smaller dagger. He held it close to my throat and my heart leapt as I struggled, until I felt the point connect with my flesh. Immediately, I froze.
He pushed me forward, farther away from the water’s edge. “Hey, careful,” I said as he moved the dagger over my throat. It would have cut me had I not leaned my head back. “Don’t you need to read me my Miranda rights?” I questioned.
My snarky attitude that came out whenever I was cornered wasn’t something I needed right now. But No-Way-Out Cora was not quite so generous or good at thinking rationally.
“You’ll stay quiet until we’re in the keep.” He drew me closer to his body as he walked, his grip tightening. “If you know what’s best for you.”
I followed his instructions this time. I’d been arrested twice and had learned the hard way that doing what you’re told works out far better in the long run. I’d just never been arrested by an officer wearing chain mail.
I straightened myself up and tried not to let fear slip in. There had to be a reasonable explanation for this. For all of this.
It could all be a dream. Which was the theory I was hoping was the correct one.
The trees parted as we crested the top of the hill, revealing a long path that led down to a town of some sort. I gazed into the distance, following the road as it led through the village past the town. From our vantage point, the vastness of this place was evident, and the strangeness. I couldn’t hide my surprise and I sucked in a sharp breath.
As I took in the large turrets in the distance, with beautiful flowers surrounding the building that had caused my shock, my mouth slackened and hung open.
Now I knew this had to be a dream. That was all there was to it.
Because the last time I checked, there were no overwhelmingly large stone castles anywhere close to where I lived.
